This warm pasta salad is one of our go-to dinners. It is easy and fast to prepare and my family loves it!  I have two versions of this particular dish, the first version uses my homemade Pignoli Pesto and the second version uses store-bought pesto. Either recipe is really good and they only vary slightly but, I find that homemade pesto really puts this dish over the top. We eat this as a main course with a side salad or topped with roasted veggies. If you aren’t vegetarian this dish would be great with grilled chicken tossed in.

Warm Quinoa Pasta Salad with Roasted Bell Peppers and Homemade Pignoli Pesto 

Serves 4

1 yellow bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

1 box of Ancient Harvest, quinoa pasta

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 Tbsp. homemade Pignoli Pesto

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1-2 tsp. nutritional yeast, depending on taste, optional

1/2 tsp.black pepper

salt to taste

3 tbsp. fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

toasted pine nuts for garnish, optional

red pepper flakes, optional

Preheat broiler and place the bell peppers, whole, onto a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet under the broiler, turning when each side is blackened. This can take about 15-20 minutes. When the peppers are charred all over remove from the oven and place in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for at least 15-20 minutes or until cool enough to handle. When cooled, peel off the skins and remove the stem and seeds. Coarsely chop the peppers and set aside. *I usually roast peppers on our cook day during the weekend and keep them prepped in the fridge for when I need them. This will make preparing meals on busy nights a lot easier!

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, return to a boil and cook for 6-7 minutes until pasta is al dente.

In a large mixing bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, pesto, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper whisking well to mix. Drain the pasta and add it to the pesto mixture while it is still hot. Toss well to coat, then mix in the reserved peppers, basil, and toasted pine nuts. Season to taste with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.  Serve immediately.

Warm Quinoa Pasta Salad with Roasted Bell Peppers and Pesto 

Serves 4

1 yellow bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

1 box of Ancient Harvest, quinoa pasta

4 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. pesto

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp.black pepper

salt to taste

3 tbsp. fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

toasted pine nuts for garnish, optional

red pepper flakes, optional

Prep the peppers and the pasta as instructed in the recipe above.

In a large mixing bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, pesto, garlic, salt and pepper whisking well to mix. Drain the pasta and add it to the pesto mixture while it is still hot. Toss well to coat, then mix in the reserved peppers, basil, and toasted pine nuts. Season to taste with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.  Serve immediately.